Search

Electron microscopy data are used to comparative analysis of the topological structure of the surface of two samples of cellulose triacetate (CTA) films. The samples were obtained from CTA solutions without use (sample N 1) and with the use of a small sodium fluoride additive that lowers the viscosity of the solution (sample N2). It is shown that in sample N 1, the nodes of the physical network of macromolecules are periodically alternating regions of local orientation order --- microdomains of average size d~18 nm. In sample N 2, due to repackaging of microdomains on the scale R>d, a uniformly disordered fractal cluster of the mesophase CTA is formed. The fractalization of the surface and the growth of structural anisotropy are consistent with the decrease in the viscosity of the solution and explain the change in the deformation properties of sample N 2 compared to N 1. Keywords: polymer films, electron microscopy, microdomains, mesophase, structural transition, fractal clusters.

Given the recent findings on the importance of CD38 signaling in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CD38 gene may be related to colon cancer risk. CD38 has a genetic polymorphism, characterized by a C>G variation in the regulatory region of intron 1. The working hypothesis is that the presence of different alleles in colon cancer patients accounts for some of the clinical heterogeneity. CD38 is considered a marker of prognosis and as an indicator the activation and proliferation of cells. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CD38 gene may be related to colon cancer risk. We evaluated one potentially functional CD38 SNP, intronic rs6449182 in two cases patients and controls. Genotyping was done using PCR-based assays in a total of 93 patients with colon cancer and 100 controls. We found that frequencies of variant allele (rs6449182 G) were significantly higher in colon cancer. Logistic regression analysis revealed an association between colon cancer and genotypes: rs6449182 CC [odds ratio (OR), 0.57; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.32 – 1.01], rs6449182 CG (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 0.83 – 2.60), and rs6449182 GG (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 0.66 – 7.77). We observed that rs6449182 G carriers had more advanced clinical stage (P = 0.04). In conclusion, our data show that CD38 SNP may affect CD38 expression and contribute to the increased risk of colon cancer carcinogenesis.